Rafael Devers opened door for Red Sox and Craig Breslow to win the trade

The Boston Red Sox courted controversy over the weekend, to put it lightly, trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants after failing to "align" with their star DH. Devers was the best bat in Boston's lineup, in just the third year of a 10-year contract, but disputes over his positional designation after the Alex Bregman signing led to a breakdown of the relationship between Devers and the Red Sox brass.

This is unequivocally a huge win for the Giants, who didn't give up much for a slugger of Devers' caliber. Jordan Hicks was recently demoted to the bullpen, Kyle Harrison was just assigned to Triple-A Worcester upon his arrival in Boston, and the two prospects sent to the Red Sox — Jose Bello and James Tibbs — are years away from even sniffing the MLB.

For those searching for a silver lining in Boston, however, there is one. Devers was just rendered a full-time DH at 28 years old. Generally, contracts like his — $313 million over 10 years — are reserved for players with some level of defensive utility. Devers has experience in the field, but he's quite bad. Point blank. So, when the Giants and Devers start floating the idea of him returning to the field, it's not necessarily great news.

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Rafael Devers opens the door for reps at 3B and 1B with Giants

After a months-long feud over his position change in Boston, Devers quickly changed his tune in San Francisco. When asked about potentially moving around the field and covering different positions for the Giants, Devers was all ears. He just wants to help the team win games, which is what Boston fans wanted to hear him say back in April — when he was still donning 'Red Sox' across his chest.

"I’m here to play wherever they want me to play," Devers told reporters.

This feels like the wrong decision for San Francisco, to be frank. Devers is undeniably more valuable if he's playing the field well, but there is no evidence that he can or will do so. Improvement is never out of the question, but Devers has been raking pitchers in MLB for years now. He won a World Series, he's a three-time All-Star. This is his ninth big-league campaign. If that improvement hasn't happened by now, I'm sorry to burst the bubble — it probably ain't going to happen now.

The Giants risk compromising their defense in a vain attempt to maximize Devers, when the true maximization of his talent is hitting. For better or worse, the Giants need to embrace Devers as DH, just like the Red Sox did, and let his bat lead the way. That is what will put San Francisco on a new level in the NL West. Not his glove.

Has Rafael Devers ever played first base before?

No, he has not. Devers has exclusively occupied third base or DH for the Red Sox. He was, in fact, promised the third base gig for the duration of his 10-year contract once upon a time, as he cited in rebuttal to Boston's DH decision back in training camp.

Devers was a terrible third baseman. There's no sugarcoating it. Last season, he finished with -9 outs above average (OAA), per Baseball Savant, in MLB's ninth percentile. He was in the fourth percentile in 2023. The 26th percentile in 2022. The first percentile in 2021. And so on. There are minor fluctuations, but the data is unmistakable. Devers is a negative-impact defender, so much so it can undermine his value as a hitter on occasion. 

Now, first base is not third base, so perhaps Devers isn't quite so detrimental at the less-hot corner. Still, asking a subpar defender to learn a whole new position — one with specific nuances unique to that position — feels like a recipe for disappointment. Devers won't be a better defender. At best, he will be a bad defender at a less "important" position.